Foie gras and French dessert wines might make for wonderful duos, but when’s the last time you had either outside of a fancy restaurant? The problem with most wine pairings is their inaccessibility — the wines tend to be too expensive for casual consuming, and the foods aren’t exactly ones eaten regularly. What would be really helpful is knowing how to pair wine with foods eaten more casually — like, say, takeout favorites.

The wine gurus at Lot 18, an online wine marketplace, held an informal and refreshingly accessible wine pairing event for their favorite takeout foods. Held not at an uppity restaurant or sprawling estate, but at a long wooden table in a meeting room at their offices in Manhattan, the laid-back affair put forth a handful of interesting and useful recommendations:

1. Sushi and Bubbly: A Perfect Marriage
This may have been the most high end of the batch (with neither sushi nor champagne having a reputation for being light on the wallet), but it may also have been the most spot on of the pairings. The salty pieces of seafood paired beautifully with champagne that was sweet, bubbly and a teeny bit nutty.

2. Sweet Wines, Spicy Foods: Thai TakeoutA traditional Riesling, neither too sweet nor too dry, helped balance out the acidity (and considerable kick) from a fragrant bowl of Thai curry., Each mouthful was as smooth as it was refreshing. Rather than struggling to beat the heat with glassfuls of water, all it takes is a sip of sweet Riesling.

3. Acidic Wines, Acidic Foods: Pizza Pairings
A high acidic wine, in this case, a Barbera, pairs perfectly with the acidic flavor in tomato sauce. Married with pizza topped with tangy tomato sauce, cheese and sausage, the Barbera’s notes of raspberry, cherry and coffee shined through beautifully. Alternatively, try pairing it with pastas, olives and other acidic foods.

4. Complex Wines, Complex Flavors: Indian TakeoutA rich and almost (dark) chocolatey Pinot Noir nicely matches up with spicy and aromatic Tandoori chicken. Any lingering kick from the Indian food was met with a delicious aftertaste of dark berries and spicy fruit. Next time you order your Naan to go, look for a glass of this deep, flavorful red.

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